Board director profiles

Dr Michael King, Chair

Dr Michael King is an experienced Chairman, Director and business leader. He has a strong community profile through his deep involvement in community organisations and various levels of government.

Michael is Chair of T20 Regional Victoria (Geelong) Region and a member of the Commonwealth Small Business Advisory Committee. He is a former Deputy Chair of St Laurence Community Services, former board member of the G21 Geelong Region Alliance, Committee for Geelong and The Gordon, and a former Deputy Mayor of Geelong.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Doctorate of Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Michael has been Managing Director of Kings Funerals for over 25 years.

Jodi Heath, Deputy Chair

Jodi Heath has a Master of Business Administration degree specialising in corporate governance from Deakin University. Over the past 13, Jodi has held management positions within the Telecommunications industry and currently works with the National Australia Bank (NAB) as the Regional Executive heading NAB's retail sectorfor Geelong and south-west Victoria.

Jodi is also Vice President at The Gordon and a board member of the Committee for Geelong. She holds current memberships with G21 Geelong Region Alliance, St Laurence Community Services, Deakin Alumni Community and Geelong Business Club. She is also an Australian Rural Leaders Fellow and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Joe Adamski, Managing Director

Joe Adamski joined Barwon Water in 1987 as Manager of Information Systems after 12 years at Telstra (then Telecom) as an analyst and senior project manager. He has held several executive roles at Barwon Water.

Educated at the former Chanel College (Geelong), the Gordon Institute of Technology and Deakin University, he is a former Chairman of St Joseph's College Board of Management and maintains a strong interest in the school.

Mr Adamski also is a member of several key water industry groups, including VicWater, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) and Australian Water Association (AWA).

David Harris

David is a Company Director and Managing Director of a retail business in Colac.

David is an experienced Director, Chairman and board member across government, community and commercial industries and has a long history of active participation in the local community.

David is a former G21 Director, a 25 year member of Rotary International and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

David was appointed the Barwon Water Board in October 2011.

Dr Stretch Kontelj oam

Dr Srechko "Stretch" Kontelj is the Legal Director Asia/Pacific for Specsavers Optometry Group and a councillor for the City of Greater Geelong, serving as Mayor in 2002–2003.

Stretch is a Specialist Reserve Legal Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, and previously held senior roles of General Legal Counsel, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager with Sportsco.

Stretch has practised law for over 20 years and has undergraduate degrees in economics and law, masters in commercial law and business administration, and graduate diplomas in corporate governance, military law and notarial practice. Stretch was awarded Deakin University's first Doctorate in Law in 1999.

Stretch has a long history of community involvement, particularly in supporting ethnic communities, for which he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2001. In 2003 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to local government.

Rebecca Leonard

She is a member of the Committee for Geelong, Mount Duneed Progress Association, Kalkarra Park Committee of Management and Geelong Chamber of Commerce. She is also vice chair of UnitingCare Geelong and secretary of the Barwon Centre Against Sexual Assault.